As Long as You Live
by Lone Diamond
Summary: "You're the one who taught me how to live; how to pursue, how to protect." A sequel to "Promise Me", in which the distance between Aki and Ichinose isn't as far as it seems.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hey guys! I wanted to publish a different series, but I decided to finish this one first instead. Although this is the sequel, the narrator is supposed to be a mystery, so it's not obvious until later in this chapter. Don't worry though; all will be revealed in its due time. Enjoy!

* * *

Do you remember the day we first met?

No, rather than calling the day we first "met" it was more of the day we both learned that we existed.

The day on which we officially befriended each other, alongside Domon.

 _You, with your childish eyes, staring off into the cotton-dotted sky, football in hand, smiling. And I, gazing from afar; quietly admiring both you and the beauty of the scenery before my eyes._

If Domon hadn't been there, I would have never even known your name. For that, I'm grateful that Domon offered me the opportunity to acknowledge you. Because of him, our friendship was possible, and thus, the beginning of our lives as football players.

The years following our encounter were some of the best moments of my childhood, without a doubt.

I loved my childhood, both rain and shine.

If I had to select a day to re-live... I would choose our third Christmas together.

 _As I recall it, there was a violent snowstorm at the time. That day, your father called that Christmas to tell my parents that the car you were in was stuck on the road, so there was no way you could make it to the evening party._

 _But my father insisted that he should go find you. He reached for his winter coat without wasting another breath, and trudged outside._

 _I was feeling particularly brave at that point in time._

 _I don't remember exactly why, but I wanted to be your hero, so I decided that I should accompany my father on his mission._

 _I snatched my parka, telling my mother that I'd be back, and rushed my way out into the unforgiving blizzard._

 _I hollered out to my father, asking where he was, and he shouted back, telling me to hop in behind him on his snowmobile._

 _I followed the engine's echo, relying more on my half-frozen ears than my clouded sight. I finally found him, hopped onto the snowmobile, buried my face into my scarf, and nudged him, signaling for him to advance. In a split second, the snow surrounding us spung upwards, and we disappeared into the blocked horizon. The snow stung my face like darts, but that was the least of my concerns._

 _I was more concerned with saving you, imagining your face as I carried you in my arms all the way back to my warm house._

 _Away from the punishing blizzard._

 _Away from danger._

 _We soon found your car, lodged on top of a large log, which was sticking out from the side of the road. My father figured out that the slippery snow covering the log was the reason why the car couldn't move._

 _I would have noticed that too, but as soon as I saw your car, I bolted towards it, trying to find your face._

 _I pressed my head on the window in the back, and there you were, those same childish eyes meeting with my gaze. I expected you to be frightened, which would have made it possible for me to comfort you and be your hero, but you were calmer than ever, huddled into the backseat as if you were on a normal roadtrip._

 _If anything, it was you who comforted me. You relieved me of my deep worry, and encouraged me to help get the car unstuck._

 _In no time, the car was finally free of the log, and my father and I escorted you to our place._

 _That Christmas, you, Domon, and I exchanged gifts as if nothing happened. The adults were dining in the hearty kitchen, the atmosphere was lively, and I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas._

Days like those felt timeless, and I wished that it would've lasted an eternity.

I sincerely wished that the day would never come where I had to go separate ways from you.

But fate itself thought otherwise.

My wish to become your hero... came true.


	2. Chapter 2

None of this is your fault.

Neither one of us are to blame for what happened.

We were both equally as impulsive with our actions; you, running after the ball, and I, running after you.

You didn't intend to wound me, and for that, I cannot accept your apology, because you've done nothing wrong.

I know that you're wondering about the reasons why I lied and gave you a note rather than a belonging of mine to remember me by.

You see, Kino-san, I didn't want to speak to you because I was ashamed of myself.

I was ashamed of presenting myself to you, who I most admire, because I didn't want you to think I was weak.

I preferred to lie to you about my death, despite _knowing_ that it would hurt you more than seeing my injuries.

I lied because I was afraid you would look at me with pity. I didn't want you to take the responsibility of caring for me, not because I can take care of myself, but because I wanted you to be happy. I wanted to see you smile and enjoy yourself, rather than go to bed every night worrying about my condition.

Convincing the doctor to exclusively tell you and Domon that I was dead was the hardest part. But I persuaded him that it was better to spare your suffering; if you were to see me as the mangled mess I was.

It pains me that our fates had come to this, but it pains me more to imagine what would've happened to _you_ if things hadn't been this way.

I wouldn't have been able to remember my childhood in the same way, had you died in my place. It's a miracle that it was me, not you, who took the hit.

If things hadn't turned out this way, you would have given up your passion for football for good.

But I just couldn't let that happen.

I wanted you to play for my sake, and I planned to return to you after I fully recovered. For as long as you live, I will do no less than strengthen my health, so that when the day in which we meet again comes, I won't hold you back from reaching your dreams.

That's why I made that promise.

During those three years of physical therapy, I wondered about how you were doing. I often looked out the window at nighttime, and imagined you preparing for a football match; ready to give it your all. When I finally closed my eyes to sleep, I dreamed about you on the pitch, with your winning smile and childish eyes, dribbling the ball down the field, scoring a goal... over and over again.

As the years passed, I also realized that I harbored a mysterious feeling inside of my heart.

A feeling that I had never felt with anyone before.

I often questioned what it was, and it wasn't until I saw you on international television for the first time that I realized what it was.

Love.

My love for you was the force that made my heart beat, that pushed the tears off of my cheeks, and that influenced me to smile at your image on the screen.

Wiser people would tell me that this isn't love. They would deny what I feel, because they are supposedly more experienced in life than I am. They would claim that this is purely admiration, and that my heart was too young to love or truly know the concept of such a thing. Sometimes, they would go on to say that I'm too far away from you, both physically and emotionally. The elders would insist that there was a definite possibility that you've changed, and that you've grown up and moved on.

Why are adults this way?

I've grown up too, you know.

So what's wrong with these feelings I have for you?

You may be a million miles away, and my emotions cannot reach you, but that doesn't change a damn thing.

You've made a promise to me, and because you kept it, I'm able to say that you haven't really changed that much from your childhood self. Even if you did change, I would embrace this, for change is also part of you.

I understand that we won't be able to hang out together in the exact same way as before, but despite that, you're still Kino Aki, and I'm still Ichinose Kazuya.

We're humans. Humans change. They adapt. They inspire.

They learn.

It's only natural that I'd learn from the legacy you created.

You've been credited for the success of Raimon Junior High's football team, and being the first female to officially play in a national match. You've certainly made your name into a legend, haven't you?

You're the one who taught me how to live; how to pursue, how to protect.

Eventually, the day came when I had fully recovered from my wounds and I was free to go.

The first thing that crossed my mind was that I had to arrive in Japan to meet you at Raimon Junior High.

And because of that, I am here now, waiting for you to see me behind this gate.

Waiting for you to realize...

That my love for you is what has kept me alive all these years, Aki.

* * *

Author's Note: Originally, this was going to pick up right after "Promise Me" ended in Aki's POV, but I thought that was too predictable.

After writing this, I am definitely going to make this series into a trilogy as a thank you for reading my old-as-hell fanfics about a game that came out ages ago.

Bonus!: Speaking of the game, this AU was deeply inspired by Aki's recruitment dialogue in Inazuma Eleven 2 Blizzard, where she is exclusively recruitable. Although her motives for returning to the football pitch were different than the ones in my AU, (she implied that she was jealous of Touko, and wanted to prove to Endou that she was every bit as worthy of being on the pitch as the latter was) I still felt that it was honorable of her to overcome her past to play football again. Seriously, the video game Aki is WAY better than her animated counterpart, and the hints of Ichinose having feelings for Aki are adorable, especially at the end of the game.


End file.
